Is Hydroxycaprylic Acid safe in cosmetics?
Hydroxycaprylic Acid has a safety rating of "GOOD" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted.
Good
Cosmetic Ingredient
Hydroxycaprylic Acid
INCI: HYDROXYCAPRYLIC ACID
Hydroxycaprylic Acid (CAS 617-73-2) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as Humectant, pH buffer. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 617-73-2 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Function
Humectant, pH buffer
Safety Rating
GOOD
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
2-hydroxyoctanoic acid
InChIKey
JKRDADVRIYVCCY-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Permitted — CIR AHA assessment applies (≤10%, pH ≥3.5)
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Hydroxycaprylic Acid.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Softener and conditioner
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Hydroxycaprylic Acid.
Chemical Function
Softener and conditioner
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL4447980
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hydroxycaprylic Acid allowed in the EU?
Hydroxycaprylic Acid EU regulatory status: restricted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Hydroxycaprylic Acid do in cosmetics?
Hydroxycaprylic Acid functions as: Humectant, pH buffer. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 617-73-2.
Is Hydroxycaprylic Acid used outside cosmetics?
Hydroxycaprylic Acid also appears in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Hydroxycaprylic Acid compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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82 Allergen Checker
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Substance Compliance
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MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
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